Domestic violence continues to hurt families, an issue that San Antonio leaders have called a growing epidemic. Now local students are using a new tool to combat the problem.
"We see it every day through the news and media; we see so much violence and nothing being done about it," filmmaker Marco Zaragosa said.
For these students, violence isn't a data set or chart graph, but a reality they live every day.
With the help of the Family Violence Center, they're turning that experience into a way to make a difference. The Can't Beat Love Film Festival is giving students an opportunity to talk openly about violence and ways to prevent it.
For Zaragosa and fellow filmmaker Jordan Pearson, researching school violence has put the numbers into perspective. According to SA 2020, the city's domestic violence rate is worsening.
The number of women killed in Bexar County by a male partner quadrupled between 2014 and 2018.
Another concern for students is living in fear of school shootings.
"When they wake up in the morning and they say, 'Today i might not come home,'" Zaragosa said.
For these students, turning tragedy into film is one way to find a silver lining.
"It shows how people can be part of the helping of all of the situations," Zaragosa said.
Students will share their work at the Film Award show, set for Feb. 27 at 7 p.m.